Fruit Season… not that kind of fruit
Aren’t you just loving the array of produce out there? I just dropped 70$ at Whole Paycheck :( but I’m happy now chomping on a fresh apple. Rainier cherries! Sweet corn! Tomatoes! Grapefruit! Can I also just say, once again, how I love Trader Joe’s but recently had another harrowing bad produce purchase there: 3 grapefruit that were way past their prime. Also loving the blackberries… makes me want to go berry picking (except cannot muster the energy).My mom used to get us all out the door picking strawberries, ollalieberries, and blackberries, and then she’d have a canning extravaganza. We’d also strip apricots and lay them out in the sun for “leather.”
I know we had a rousing conversation on this before, but I’m wondering: do people like the new Whole Foods on 4th street? How are the farmer’s markets adding up? Nectarines! Yummmm. new Farmer’s markets cropping up in SOMA reportedly, and Chestnut street in the Marina, which I haven’t been to. Neighbors did a cost comparison between Ferry Building and Civic Center, and guess who won. Now, if you did that to the Alemany one…
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Since the WF on 4th and Harrison opened, I always go to it instead of the California St. one. The parking lot is larger and easier to get around in, for one thing, and the whole store just seems a little less cramped.
By the way, the former Cala market at Haight and Stanyan is reportedly being replaced by a Whole Foods, and a huge WF is being built from scratch at 17th and Rhode Island, at the site of the former S&C Ford Maintenance Center.
When I work up in the city, I work around the corner from the 4th/Harrison Whole Foods. But I try to stay away as much as possible because I think they’re dipshits for not simply not carrying foie gras, but refusing to do business with the duck raiser who sold ducks to Sonoma Foie Gras…until Whole Foods pressured them into not doing so.
Plus, as everyone knows, their prices are absurd. I like the salad/food bar, but I end up spending over $10 for a self-service lunch, eating from disposable containers, and having to hunt for a spot at a small and busy seating area.
Trader Joe’s takes returns, btw. If they hassle you, they suck (i.e. they’re not supposed to). But TJ’s produce is generally pretty poor; many employees even know that. Get your produce at a farmer’s market if at all possible. It’ll be much fresher and keep longer.
I have been in fresh produce heaven. I spent the weekend cooking from my big box’o organic veggies that was delivered on Thursday by htt://www.farmfreshtoyou.com. So far everything has been really good and the variety of vegetables has inspired me to try new dishes. Also, the fruit stand down the street (huge plus of living in SJ) is just now really getting going with lots of stuff after a very slow spring.
I just got back from Portland and Seattle, and I was blown away by the fresh berries there, especially at the Portland store New Seasons. The fresh loganberries were the best berries I have ever had. Fresh berries also remind me of picking and canning adventures I had with my family as a kid. We would pick raspberries in the back yard and go into the mountains to pick huckleberries. Yum!
Whole Paycheck: Once I was able to buy a nice quinoa salad there, and I keep coming back hoping to find it… but it hasn’t been there, I swear. in months.
Berries: The marion berries in Portland are so good! In the Castro, I had an apt. with a gnarly neglected backyard, that hte whole block from Sanchez, 15th, Market & Noe, and it had tons of wild blackberries that were sooo yummy. I had tons of friends stoppying by to pick them and get all scarred up.
I keep on reminiscing about the smell of hot grapes in late summer. That vineyard smell is great.
Also, can anyone recommend a legitimate roadside fruit stand that isn’t really a re-selling place for Chilean apricots, etc? The one near Tennessee Valley seems lame, and the ones I drove by on 101 south near Castroville also seemed a bit commercial.
Personally, my local produce market on the corner (or my formerly local one) was great. Cheap, good quality, fresh, nice location and with zero pretention added.
Aside from that: Trader Joe’s is always pretty bad. Safeway is fine. Andronico’s is fine but overpriced like Whole Foods.
Really, though, maybe someone can explain to me why they’re worth it for any groceries? Do y’all just enjoy paying twice as much?
As for farmer’s markets, the only thing I miss about living in the ‘loin was the Heart of the City Farmer’s Market in UN Plaza. The one at the Ferry Building is great if you want expensive honey or oranges, but lacks both selection and value.
I’m surprised no one has mentioned Rainbow Grocery on Folsom at Division in SF. Rainbow blows Whole Foods away as far as produce goes. Plus, they have a huge variety of bulk items, and they are a cooperative, owned by the employees. I tried Whole Foods on 4th a couple times, but found myself frustrated at how cramped the aisles felt and at how much conventionally grown vs organically grown produce they sold. With a local store like Rainbow in town, why would anyone choose Whole Paycheck?
For those of you in the South Bay, in the Santa Clara area, check out the fruit/produce market at Scott and Homestead. It’s always looked inviting, but it wasn’t until fairly recently, with a change in ownership, that it’s been a good place to go.
Also in the area, more or less, is the Milk Pail in Mountain View. Combo it with a trip to Dittmer’s for meat.
I stopped by Golden Produce the other day, since we were talking about good produce and that’s my favorite place- got some apricots and manchego. Yummy!
Rainbow vs. Whole Foods. I decided a long time ago to just blow the whole roll of bills at WF because it’s 1) organic 2) good for me- but only if I buy produce, not the prepared foods, which I think is way too expensive. Rainbow: good, but I’m rarely on that side of town. The smell is funky too- and it’s no problem with Rainbow, Harvest has the same issue.